


Scarlet in a Lantern

by Icechild



Category: Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: Blood Loss, Hurt Barry, Injured Barry, M/M, Mission Gone Wrong, Starvation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 13:37:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21037103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icechild/pseuds/Icechild
Summary: A mission gone wrong leaves Hal and the resident Scarlet Speedster trapped under a collapsed building. Blood all around them and too dark to see. Fears let out some confessions.





	Scarlet in a Lantern

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for my kiddos that wanted some HalBarry content. Hope you enjoy!

The League had been called out for what at the time seemed to be a routine mission. There had been some suspicious activity down by a warehouse in Keystone. Batman had given them all the debrief. Just the core members for this. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Flash. They thought it would be a quick go in and see what was happening, stop it if it’s bad, go home. 

They were wrong. 

So, so wrong. 

It had been around five hours since they had arrived at the warehouse. Five hours since Superman had been injected with kryptonite and gone down to the ground. Five hours of rigorous fighting that had thoroughly exhausted every member of the Justice League that was fighting. Bruce and Diana stayed hovering around Clark's unmoving body. They had to find some way to get him out of there. They didn’t even know if he was okay. 

Hal and Barry were on the other side of the building working hard to try to keep the goons from spilling through the woodwork and overwhelming their friends. Honestly they weren’t even sure what had happened. Just that the mission had gone horribly, horribly wrong. 

Hal threw up a construct to try to keep the goons back while Barry ran as fast as he could to get the guns away. He knew he was slowing down. Knew he needed to eat and could feel his metabolism eating away at his insides. Five hours of nonstop running was taking a toll on him and he knew they needed to end it soon. 

Hal’s construct started to crack and the goons busted through. They had lasers. Huge, canon like laser guns and were firing them. Barry saw the gun being aimed at Hal and he didn’t think before he ran just tried to get there and praying that he wasn’t too slow. 

The two of them crashed to the ground and Hal looked up to Barry. It was the first time the whole fight he’d slowed down enough for him to get a proper look and he did not look good. Pale and shaking and the blonde was lacking his usual smirk or laughter. All of it was replaced by worry and it set off every warning bell in Hal’s head. 

“Flash-”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It just nicked my arm a little. You got me in time.”

From where they were currently hidden behind a crate they could see the battle clearly. Bruce’s Batsuit was torn and tattered. He was bleeding but still going strong. Only using one batarang which told the others that he was nearly out of weapons. Not a good sign. Diana even seemed to be tiring. They weren’t going to make it out of this battle at this rate. Hal was trying to think of what to do so he could properly apply his will when he saw Barry’s face. No smile under the cowl. No happy laugh that he loved and no mischief on the scarlet speedster. He’d almost forgotten how serious Barry really was. Especially if the people he cared about were in danger. 

“GL you need to get them out.”

“What?-”   
“You heard me.”

He turned his stare away from the battle and leveled it straight at Hal. Normally he’d fight back with everything he had about how stupid this was but the look he was getting kept him from it. 

“You need to get them out of here. I’ll handle the rest. I can distract them and then I’ll run out to meet you.”

“Flash that’s stupid.”

“G-”

The crate in front of them exploded in a plume of wood ships and shards. They’d been found. No more resting. Hal shot up a quick shield to protect them as they leveled off with the bad guys. They didn’t even know if this was a major villain. It was likely, but they didn’t know who, not yet at least. 

“We don’t have time to argue GL just go!”

The next second Barry was gone from his side. He was drawing the fire away and circling around the whole ground of goons. Diana and Bruce needed the breather and immediately Diana was checking on Clark. Hal ran up to them. 

“Is he?...”

The rest of the sentence didn’t need to be said. 

“He’s alive. We have to get him out of here where he can get some sun. It’s the only thing I can think of right now that will help him.”

“Good, because I have to get you guys out while Flash distracts them.”

He could see the argument posed on both of their lips but cut them off by making a large green bubble around the three of them. 

“Sorry, no time to argue.”

With one final glance to where he could see a red streak knocking out thugs he turned and ran. He made sure to get close enough to where they had parked the javelin. A bit away but not so far that they couldn’t see the building. The javelin was camouflaged so it was hidden well enough from any villains or curious civilians. He let his teammates get steady on the ground before letting go of the green surrounding them. 

“Flash is still in there.”

“He said he’d meet us out.”

“And how do you think he’s going to know we’re gone with that many goons attacking him?”

Hal glared right back at the Dark Knight.

“I trusted him and his plan. We had to do something. Take care of Superman, I’ll go get Flash.”

He was almost there when he heard it. 

* * *

Barry was trying his best. He was taking out all the goons that he could but the lasers were getting fired everywhere and he knew he was slowing down. His stomach cramped and he slowed down without even thinking. A bullet came close enough to cut his cheek just under the cowl. He told Hal to run, to get everyone out. He could leave now too. They were safe by now, they had to be.

But what if they weren’t?

He was so absorbed in his fight that he didn’t hear the god awful crackling from above him. He didn’t see the cracks forming in the ceiling or the plaster chunks that were beginning to fall. He didn’t feel the rumble that quaked through the building. He only noticed something was happening when all the goons made way for the door running. If he hadn’t scared them so far there was no way that it was him. 

The second he stopped he wished he hadn’t. The room was spinning around him and he felt like he was vibrating even though he could see he was still. He saw chunks of the building falling around him. One too many laser blasts he guessed. He went to run only to have a steel beam from above come crashing down on him. Everything hurt. Everything was bad. But at least his friends were safe. He saw green in his vision before everything turned black. 

* * *

Hal made it into the crumbling building in time to see Barry get hit. He made it in time to cover them both with a construct bubble and wrapped his own body around Barry’s head. He wasn’t going to lose him today. He’d never lose him if he could help it. 

He lost track of how long it had been but when the rubble stopped moving Hal opened his eyes again. Barry was still under the beam but it didn’t look like anything was broken. He’d be bruised for a little while but nothing that needed to be reset while they were under there. That took care of legs. How was the rest of him?

He moved to try to light the area with his ring when its power started to die. Great. The green light flickered out and Hal ducked over Barry again when the rubble made an eerie creek above them. Once everything settled again he tried to feel over Barry to check for injuries. He thought everything was going to be okay until he felt something wet. He knew it wasn’t water. It was too warm for that. Quickly he ran his fingers over the area until he found what felt like a metal pipe going through Barry’s lower left arm. There was blood but as long as the pipe stayed in he shouldn’t bleed. Unless his healing was going to try to heal around it. He had to wake him up, he didn’t know what to do.

“Flash. Come on don’t do this man. I need you to wake up.”

No response. A quick check of his pulse and breathing told him he was still alive but there was definitely something very wrong. 

“Barry. I need you to wake up. Okay? Can you do that for me? I need you to open your eyes.”

Nothing.

“Come on man I can’t do this without you. You’re my best friend.”

A small groan came from the wounded speedster in his lap and Hal was lying if he said he didn’t feel his heart skip at the little sound.

“Wake up. Please wake up. I don’t know what to do.”

Sure he was the Green Lantern and sure he had a lot of ego but seeing someone he cared that deeply for, in such a state hurt. It threw him off his track. Normally if Barry got hurt they had a way out. He could see the injury and there was help actively there. Bruce and Diana would have seen the building but they wouldn’t be able to get them on their own. And they had to take care of Clark. They were trapped. 

“What?....”

“Barry. You with me?”

There were a few seconds of silence and Hal thought he’d passed out again.

“I need you to talk to me. There’s a pipe in your arm and you’re bleeding you need to tell me what else is wrong.”

No response. No response and from the way he was breathing Hal could guess that he’d passed out again. He was scared. He might lose Barry down here and there was nothing he could do. His ring was dead and there was no way out. He hung his head low and kissed the top of the cowl on his lap.

“I’m sorry I let you down.”

* * *

Hal woke up to a steady beeping next to him. He didn’t remember getting out of the rubble or anything that happened really but he knew he was on the watchtower. He was about to panic and try to find Barry when he heard a small laugh next to him. There was his favorite speedster. All bed headed and tired eyed with a smile on his lips and fading bruises. An IV going into him and a bandage around his arm. 

“You really should have seen your face. Were you that worried?”

He didn’t know if he wanted to slap him or hug him. 

“Barry. I was trapped in the dark with you dying in my lap. What was I supposed to feel?”

“I’m fine. Just kinda bottomed out my glucose levels and got a little banged up. Little rest and I’ll be okay. So will you.”

The room was silent. Neither of them really knowing what to say before Barry hopped on the side of the bed and gave Hal a hug. His words were quiet. Soft and said with so much care and meaning that Hal felt himself instantly relax.

“You could never let me down.”

It was only after Barry had left that Hal shot up from his cot and screamed.

“You asshole you were awake?!”


End file.
